Fumaric acid, potassium bisulphite, gum arabic, nitrogen… Many wine lovers are unaware of the list of acidity regulators, preservatives, stabilizing agents and gases allowed in the Bacchus drink. And for good reason: Brussels did not require them to be detailed on the bottles. This privilege will end on December 8 with the entry into force of the European regulation 2021/2117, which imposes to display the components, the sugar level and the caloric value for 100 ml. Grands crus, AOP, simple piquettes, champagnes, sparkling, pineau, or even port, all will have to reveal their secrets.
End of an era and of a certain magic. “For fifteen years the world of wine has been under pressure from Europe, consumer associations, and society. We have been discussing the terms for five years. This obligation is neither aberrant nor a surprise”, says Eric Tesson, Managing Director of the National Confederation of Wine and Wine Brandy Producers with Appellations d’Origine Contrôlées, which brings together all the appellation wine syndicates in France.
A QRCode for details
Ready to do anything to avoid an arm’s length back label, the wine lobbies have obtained a major concession. The grape variety, the geographical indication, the alcohol level, the presence of allergens such as sulphites, or even the logotype to warn pregnant women, already mentioned on the label, will remain visible at first glance. On the other hand, the nutritional table can be consulted via a QRCode. Good game. This simple manipulation becomes a brake when you run out of time in the store. And how do you scan a bottle at a dinner or party without coming off as rude?
As always in Brussels, the devil is in the details. The sector is still negotiating step by step a delegated regulation, which will be formalized in July, to specify the date of the vintages concerned. “I defend the following principle: the 2022 vintage bottled after December will carry the QRCode, but previous vintages will not be affected”, pleads Irène Tolleret, Renaissance MEP. If Europe agrees to this request, the first digital labels will be visible very gradually.
With their backs to the wall, nearly 60,000 producers, cooperatives and traders are looking for a service provider capable of digitizing data and printing the precious QRCodes. In this very fragmented world, large and modest domains are progressing in scattered order with a good dozen offers to choose from. Occitanic, Vin.co, or even Advanced Track & Trace-Nutrilabel share a promising market, which concerns French, Italian, Spanish, but also Argentinian, South African or Californian operators wishing to export to Europe. Good news: the tricolor WineTech has a head start on the rest of the world, with solutions adapted to this technical puzzle. The nutritional sheet must be available in the 24 languages of the European Union. And if the bottle is exported to the United States, the information will not be displayed, since this country does not impose it. To attract customers, service providers charge – still – very affordable prices. The company Dans ma Bouteille, for example, offers a subscription of 198 euros including tax per year to generate as many QRCodes as required by the number of cuvées.
In addition, the interprofessions are working to pool costs. The CIVB (Bordeaux Wine Interprofessional Council) intends to adapt the Smart Bordeaux application, originally designed to detail the châteaux, appellations, cuvées, classifications… From its Brussels headquarters, the Comité Européen des Vins (CEEV) , which also defends liqueur manufacturers, co-finances U-Label, a non-profit service. “We have already signed nearly 400 contracts, welcomes Ignacio Sanchez-Recarte, general secretary of the CEEV. And we are ready for a rush of requests in July from operators of all sizes.”
Test in the autumn wine fairs
In fact, the Union of Champagne Houses, which federates the famous brands Ruinart, Taittinger, or even Vranken, recommends this technical solution to members. Just like Les Vignerons d’Aghione, a small cooperative of 16 Corsican winegrowers, who favor island grape varieties. Energetic and committed, Christophe Paitier, director of the structure, will test U-Label during the autumn wine fairs, in order to be ready in December. On his computer screen, the oenologist willingly shows the first nutritional tables, which display a dozen ingredients and additives incorporated into his Rosé IGP. Metatartaric acid and gum arabic… A funny Chinese for neophytes.
“I have been making wine for thirty years, and I have already removed additives. If I am asked to go further, I will.” Chick. Under pressure from public opinion, other agri-food sectors have already cleaned up. Manufacturers of cereals, confectionery, sodas reduce sugar levels. Butchers are doing their best to reduce nitrites. Playing cards on the table often requires rethinking practices. Organic winegrowers who forbid malic acid to regulate acidity, or potassium sorbate as a preservative, intend to take advantage of this new transparency. “I hope that the electronic label will reveal our efforts to produce AB wines without added sulphites, admits Grégory Hecht, co-founder of Maison Hecht & Bannier, merchant-breeder in Aix-en-Provence. It will no doubt be necessary to communicate with consumers. We will learn as we go.”
Egg white and fish glue
Often criticized, the pioneers of so-called natural wines, vinified – in theory – without synthetic products, and the defenders of the Demeter and Biodyvin labels, guarantors of biodynamic cultivation, with more demanding specifications, could take their revenge. Without admitting it too much, most winegrowers dread this revolution. How will wine lovers react when they discover the sorcerer’s apprentice palette? “We say to ourselves that reading the list of ingredients of Nutella does not prevent anyone from eating it”, advances mischievously Christophe Château, spokesperson for the CIVB. A study by the firm Wine Intelligence published in September reveals very mixed behavior towards additives: 26% of French people plan to buy the bottle all the same, but 61% admit to hesitating, and 13% give up. Alas, the most perplexed may turn away from the drink when they learn the limits of the reform. “It is not compulsory to register technological aids, if they are not allergens”, denounces Béatrice de Reynal, nutritionist and president of the Nutrimarketing agency. Indeed, the egg white used to clarify the wine, that is to say eliminate the particles in suspension, must be mentioned, because it risks causing allergies. But this is not the case with fish-based glue.
Despite everything binding, this regulation falls to the worst. Declining for 30 years, annual wine consumption has fallen from 100 liters per inhabitant in 1975 to 40 liters today. Even more worrying, Generation Z of 18-24 year olds prefer beer or even cocktails, with the risk of losing an ancestral culture. Young or old, the French watch their health, their diet and… their bank account. Inflation deals a final blow to the decanter. According to the latest NielsenIQ-LSA figures, the prices of wines in all categories have jumped by almost 10% in one year. The cup is full ? Not yet. Faced with overproduction for several years, the Bordeaux winegrowers are launching a vast plan to uproot nearly 10,000 hectares of vines, some of which are already fallow. The State and the CIVB intend to finance this operation to the tune of 57 million euros. This effort is in addition to the transformation of wine into alcohol for bioethanol or hydroalcoholic gel factories. Definitely, mondovino is no longer turning round.